Do animals understand death? Do humans?

from Tamsin Osborne -

Now, call me heartless, but the first thing that jumped into my head when I saw the picture of Gana with her dead infant was that, rather than mourning, she looked thoroughly flummoxed.

It seems to me that the question here is not do animals experience grief, so much as do they understand death? And, while I'm on that subject, do humans even understand death?

Science tells us that death is pretty much the end of the story in terms of human experience. But there are plenty of examples of human behaviour that seem to fly in the face of this.

More HERE.

'The Email Pushback Project'

The idea of The Email Pushback Project is simple, effective, and based upon four central ideas:

1. Though not all chain emails are nefarious, many use lies, distortions and twisted logic to advance political goals. This makes them indistinguishable from propaganda. Such emails are not merely annoying - They are actively harmful.

2. Your friend or relative needs to be publicly told that their mass-forwards are not welcome in your Inbox. Email was not designed to be their propaganda distributor.

3. Lies, distortions and illogic should be directly confronted and debunked. As the old saying goes, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

4. Exposing BS and spreading awareness of The Email Pushback Project informs others, and gives them the tools to push back as well.

More HERE.

Crucified frog angers pope

Sarah Palin's faith-based positions

In October of 2006, the Anchorage Daily News described Palin's positions on social issues in a lengthy profile:

"A significant part of Palin's base of support lies among social and Christian conservatives. Her positions on social issues emerged slowly during the campaign: on abortion (should be banned for anything other than saving the life of the mother), stem cell research (opposed), physician-assisted suicide (opposed), creationism (should be discussed in schools), state health benefits for same-sex partners (opposed, and supports a constitutional amendment to bar them)."

More HERE.

666-foot wide protest sign

American Right to Life Action, an anti-abortion group, claims to have displayed the largest ever protest sign in history, towering over the Democratic National Convention in Denver at 530 feet tall and 666 feet wide.

The sign says "Destroys uNborn Children" [sic], with the words appearing one atop each other to also form the acronym "DNC."

According to a release from the group, "thousands of DNC delegates and journalists can look out their hotel windows to the west to see the sign. Sponsored by American RTL Action, the message initially appeared with three enormous 160-foot tall, bright yellow letters, D-N-C, stacked on top of each other."

More HERE.

'Fight Fake History'

Buy a copy if Chris Rodda's book, Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternative Version of American History

Swedish pastor accused of leading violent 'cowboy sect'

A southern Swedish religious congregation based at a cowboy-themed conference centre has been accused of harbouring a violent and extreme religious sect.

A show aired on Tuesday by public service broadcaster SVT contained interviews with former Kingdom Center members who accuse the group of being a sect, guilty of performing violent exorcism ceremonies and using child labour, Expressen reports.

According to religious affairs programme Existens, members are often bullied into working long hours at the centre, and children are taken out of school and made to work at the cowboy-themed Lone Star park and conference centre in Höör, 50 km north of Malmö.

One woman who did not want her child to work there said they threatened to take her children away.

More HERE or HERE.

ACA 'Keeps Austin Beautiful'

Gay marriage foes mobilize for ban in California

With less than 11 weeks until Election Day, supporters of Proposition 8 are ramping up their field organization and refining their message as they seek to persuade California voters to shut the door on same-sex marriage. It's the first time voters will be asked to weigh in on the issue in either California or Massachusetts — the states where gays have won the right to wed.

An estimated 15,000 backers of the measure, most of them members of Mormon, Catholic and evangelical Christian churches, knocked on doors and distributed campaign literature to registered voters throughout the state this weekend and last, according to Jennifer Kerns, spokeswoman for the Yes on 8 campaign.

The initiative is a constitutional amendment, similar to ones already enacted in 26 other states, that would overturn the California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. It needs a simple majority of votes to pass.

More HERE.

Democrats open faith-filled convention with prayer

At the first official event Sunday of the Democratic National Convention, a choir belted out a gospel song and was followed by a rabbi reciting a Torah reading about forgiveness and the future.

Helen Prejean, the Catholic nun who wrote "Dead Man Walking," assailed the death penalty and the use of torture. Young Muslim women in headscarves sat near older African-American women in their finest Sunday hats.

Four years ago, such a scene would have been unthinkable at a Democratic National Convention. In 2004, there was one interfaith lunch at the Democratic gala in Boston. But that same year, "values voters" helped re-elect President Bush, giving Democrats of faith the opening they needed to make party leaders listen to them.

More HERE.

'Take Your God and Shove Him'

Colorado city cancels Al-Jazeera barbecue

Associated Press
Saturday August 23, 2008

The city manager of Golden, Colo., has decided to withdraw his invitation to let the Al-Jazeera news network broadcast from a barbecue in his backyard on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.

City manager Mike Bestor has apologized for any divisiveness he caused in the city of about 18,000, about 15 miles west of Denver.

Bestor made his decision after a City Council meeting Thursday at which residents complained the event with the English-language service of the Middle East news network would be disrespectful to veterans and active U.S. soldiers.

Al-Jazeera is based in Qatar and is funded by the royal family of the Persian Gulf nation. The network says its English service reaches at least 100 million households worldwide.

Vaccine refusals fuel measles outbreak

In 2008 alone, 131 cases of measles have been reported, with 15 serious enough to be hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

"Of the 95 patients eligible for vaccination, 63 were unvaccinated because of their or their parents' philosophical or religious beliefs," the CDC said.

More HERE.

Toddler starved to death by religious cult

A toddler whose remains were found inside a suitcase was starved to death by religious cult members - including his mother - because he refused to say 'amen' after meals, police said today.

Ria Ramkissoon and three other members of the group have been charged with the first-degree murder of her son Javon Thompson, whose body was found in April.

U.S. police and the family of Ramkissoon say that the group, based in Baltimore and called "1 Mind Ministries," is a cult.

More HERE.

Obama, Dems Can't Just Talk Faith

".. after the 2004 election the Democratic pundits were saying 'The Democrats lost in '04 because they didn't talk the language of faith.' And actually that's kind of, not paternalistic, but it's talking down. It's basically saying 'If you just get the right words, then they'll think you've got the lingo.' And just because a person can say 'God' and 'Jesus' and 'salvation' and whatever doesn't mean they have a worldview. And people want to know what do they believe, not just their personal faith. It's just like how many different beliefs do Jews and Christians have and still call themselves Christians or Jews? It's all over the spectrum."

More HERE.

Petraeus Endorses "Spiritual Handbook"

from Chris Rodda -
[Mike] Weinstein noticed [in the August 11 Air Force Times] a half-page ad for a book by Army chaplain Lt. Col. William McCoy, titled Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personnel. With a title like that, MRFF, of course, had to find out just what this book was about, and this is what we found -- a pro-Christian, anti-atheist book heartily endorsed by none other than Gen. David Petraeus, a slap in the face from the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq to the 21% of the men and women fighting there who define themselves as atheists or having no religious preference. Contrary to the old "no atheists in foxholes" movie line, the percentage of non-theists in the military, according to a report from the Population Reference Bureau, is actually somewhat higher than it is among the civilian population. For Petraeus to endorse a book disparaging this segment of our military population is a reprehensible betrayal of all of the non-theists who are putting their lives on the line for our country with every bit as much bravery and dedication as their religious comrades.

More HERE.

Editorial: Never Scrap Books Out of Fear of Fanatics

from Johann Hari: -
The Jewel of Medina was written by a journalist called Sherry Jones. It recounts the life of Aisha, a girl who really was married off at the age of six to a 50 year old man called Mohammed ibn Abdallah. On her wedding day, Ayesha was playing on a see-saw outside her home. Inside, she was being betrothed. The first she knew of it was when she was banned from playing out in the street with the other children. When she was nine, she was taken to live with her now-53 year old husband. He had sex with her there and then. When she was fourteen, she was accused of adultery with a man closer to her own age. Not long after, Mohammed decreed his wives must cover their faces and bodies, even though no other women in Arabia did.

You cannot read this story today -- except in the Koran and the Hadith. The man Mohammed ibn Abdallah became known to Muslims as 'the Prophet Mohammed', so our ability to explore this story is stunted. The Jewel of Medina was bought by Random House and primed to be a best-seller -- before a University of Texas teacher saw proofs and declared it "a national security issue." Random House had panicked visions of a rerun Rushdie or MoToons affair. But her publishers have pulped it. It's gone.

More HERE.

German 'Nazi' youth camp raided

A youth camp run by a neo-Nazi group has been broken up by police near Rostock in northern Germany. Thirty-nine teenagers and children who were attending the camp have been returned to their homes, police said.

The neo-Nazi group that ran the camp had described it as a youth adventure holiday. The police raid uncovered racist propaganda and Nazi material. The head of Germany's equivalent of the FBI told a newspaper neo-Nazis were adopting increasingly violent tactics.

More HERE.

Focus pulls video urging prayers for rain on Obama

Focus on the Family Action pulled a video from its Web site Monday that asked people to pray for "rain of biblical proportions" during Barack Obama's Aug. 28 appearance at Invesco Field in Denver to accept the Democratic nomination for president.

The video disappeared from You Tube also, but is now back on the site. View it here.

Stuart Shepard, director of digital media at Focus Action, the political arm of Focus on the Family, said the video he wrote and starred in was meant to be "mildly humorous."

More HERE.

Colorado personhood law backer linked to militant anti-abortion groups

A strange netherworld of extremes exists in today's anti-abortion movement. Nowhere is that more evident than its latest political salvo coming to a voting booth near you in November — Colorado's proposed Amendment 48, the so-called Human Life Amendment, a controversial mandate that seeks to confer constitutional rights to fertilized human eggs.

In the universe of anti-abortion activism, a complex and sometimes toxic stew of passive pray-ins and endless letter-writing campaigns uneasily coexists with much more aggressive and violent means of ending abortion through patient stalking, clinic bombings and murder.

One man stands in the nexus between the mainstream factions that espouse the politically correct "love the sinner/hate the sin" mantra and the more virulent behavior inspired by strained Biblical justifications for killing said sinner.

More HERE.

Ohio church: No kissing, tickling allowed

CINCINNATI - The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has issued a detailed list of inappropriate behaviors for priests, saying they should not kiss, tickle or wrestle children. The newest version of the archdiocese's Decree on Child Protection also prohibits bear hugs, lap-sitting and piggyback rides.

But it says priests may still shake children's hands, pat them on the back and give high-fives. Victim advocates who have criticized the Roman Catholic archdiocese for its handling of abuse cases say they support the new measures as a step toward better protection of children.

The Cincinnati archdiocese says it updates the rules every five years. The latest version, issued last week, also mandates background checks for contractors working with children.

White supremacists hope Obama win prompts backlash

They're not exactly rooting for Barack Obama, but prominent white supremacists anticipate a boost to their cause if he becomes the first black president. His election, they say, would trigger a backlash - whites rising up, a revolution of sorts - that they think is long overdue.

He'd be a "visual aid," says former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, in trying to bring others around to their view that whites have lost control of America. Obama's election, says another, would jar whites into action, writing letters, handing out pamphlets rather than sitting around complaining.

More HERE.

Did McCain ad intend to link Obama to Antichrist?

"Short of 666, they used every single symbol of the antichrist in this ad," said Eric Sapp, a Democratic advisor who advises Democrats on religious outreach. "There are way too many things to just be coincidence."

Notes the paper: "In some swing states with concentrated pockets of fundamentalists and evangelical Christians, like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Virginia, the ads could have particular impact. Suggestions that Sen. Obama is the antichrist have been circulating for months in Bible-study meetings in towns like Chillicothe, Ohio, where congregants compare his remarks and his biography with verses from the Bible."

More HERE.

Blow-up church looks to lure beachgoers

ROME (Reuters) - Catholic nuns and priests in Italy are following their flocks to the beach this summer, establishing an inflatable church and a beach-convent in the sands to lure sunbathers.

The 30-metre (98 ft) long blow-up church -- staffed by priests ready to take confession -- will debut on Saturday on the Adriatic coast in the Molise region, an organizer said.

"There will be four or five people singing, with music about God," said Chiara Facci with Catholic group Sentinelli del Mattino. Night time activities, which will not include Mass, will run from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The first attempt to inaugurate the inflatable church last month on the holiday island of Sardinia failed after strong winds forced organizers to relocate, she said.

More HERE.

Random House pulls novel on Islam, fears violence

Publisher Random House has pulled a novel about the Prophet Mohammed's child bride, fearing it could "incite acts of violence."

"The Jewel of Medina," a debut novel by journalist Sherry Jones, 46, was due to be published on August 12 by Random House, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, and an eight-city publicity tour had been scheduled, Jones told Reuters on Thursday.

The novel traces the life of A'isha from her engagement to Mohammed, when she was six, until the prophet's death. Jones said that she was shocked to learn in May, that publication would be postponed indefinitely.

More HERE.

'God is punishing Canada'

A fundamentalist church group from the U.S. has announced it plans to picket the funeral of Tim McLean Jr. in Winnipeg, declaring, "God is punishing Canada."

"People are absolutely outraged about it," said Doug Mitchell, a friend of McLean's for about seven years.

Led by pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church from Kansas issued a release saying they would picket McLean's funeral this weekend.

More HERE.

Church lobbies city to rename Gay Boulevard

Frog wedding brings rain

Fire breaks out at 'God Hates Fags' church

Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, known for its vocal condemnations of homosexuality, website GodHatesFags.com and picketing of gay pride parades and funerals, has sustained thousands of dollars in damage after a fire early Saturday morning. Impromptu protest followed as firefighters carried out their response.

"None of what they do is going to stop us from delivering our message," said church counsel Shirley Phelps-Roper of any "cowards" that would have set the fire on purpose, also saying that it was the "most aggressive act" towards the Phelps family to date.

More HERE.

Backgrounder on 'Defamation of Religion' Laws

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has published a detailed document on the history and issues surrounding the recent push by predominately Islamic nations for international laws against "defamation of religion." It notes that the first such law submitted to a UN body was only about defamation of Islam, but was later broadened to include all language. Most frightening is that in March 2007, the UN Human Rights Council voted 21-10 in favor of such a law. Human rights indeed.

More HERE.

Lawsuit goes after Tom Cruise, church

Tom Cruise is named in a $250 million federal lawsuit that is using the RICO statute against the Church of Scientology. Ex-Scientologist Peter Letterese, a longtime critic of the church, filed suit in Southern District Court in Florida on July 15 alleging, among other things, that members of the church harassed him after he left.

Letterese calls the church a "crime syndicate" and wants it broken up under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization law, just as the feds have broken up Mafia families.

More HERE.